The present invention relates in general to packaging machinery, and particularly to an apparatus which is capable of rapidly assimilating a group of substantially thin, flat, fragile articles into a stack which can then be emptied into a packing tray running transversely to the stacking direction. The invention is particularly adapted for use in a high production bakery, and has the object of arranging and spacing a plurality of baked articles on a conveyor belt, shifting the baked articles from the conveyor belt to a loading area where the baked articles are assmilated into stacks, and subsequently emptying the stacks of baked articles into a transversely moving packing tray.